俱舍論記 27.94

27.94

「諸有欲修至自相續起」者，別明修宿住通加行。諸有欲修宿住通者，先自審察次前滅心，漸復逆觀於此生中十時分位前前差別至結生心，乃至能漸憶知中有前一念前生命終心，名自身宿住加行已成。《婆沙》一百云「應作是說：漸審憶念至此中有前一剎那心，名加行成滿。彼是前生命終心故，能隨念知名善成滿。」解云：《婆沙》據無間道起說加行成滿，《俱舍》據加行落謝名已成滿。或成滿言顯已成滿，《正理》、《顯宗》文同《俱舍》。或可論意各別，於已成位名無間道。總緣前生命終五蘊，如《婆沙》說。宿住無間道是法念住，以中、生二蘊一業感故。所以乃至知中有位初念心來猶此生攝，未得名為知宿住事，乃至知前身命終時心方名無間道，第二念名解脫道宿住通成。如是自修加行既然，為憶念他加行亦爾。二乘、異生此通初起，唯次第知過去諸生。串習成時，亦能超憶過去諸生。諸所憶事要於過去曾所領受方能憶念。宿住通憶淨居天者，雖不生彼，昔聞說，今時能憶。故《婆沙》一百云「問：此宿住隨念智，為但憶知曾所更事？為亦憶知未曾更事？答：此但憶知曾所更事。問：若爾，此智應不憶知五淨居事，無始時來未生彼故。答：曾所更事略有二種，一者曾見、二者曾聞。雖未曾見五淨居事，而曾聞故，亦能憶知。餘欲、色界極遠極勝，諸難知事准此應知（已上論文）。」若彼自身從無色沒來生欲、色者，依自相續修加行滿，依他相續初起此通。若從所餘欲、色沒還生欲、色界者，亦依自相續初起此通；若依下地起宿住通，從上地沒來生下者，類此應知。

On the passage beginning with "Whoever wishes to cultivate" up to "arises from one's own continuity": This separately explains the preparatory application for cultivating the supernormal knowledge of past abodes. Whoever wishes to cultivate the supernormal knowledge of past abodes first closely inspects the mind that ceased just prior, and then gradually contemplates backward in reverse through the earlier and earlier differences of the ten stages of this life up to the mind of entering existence (pratisaṃdhi-citta), eventually being able gradually to recollect and know the mind at death in the preceding life, which is one thought-moment prior to the intermediate existence; this is called the preparatory application regarding one's own continuity having been completed. The Mahāvibhāṣā, fascicle one hundred, states: "It should be said: gradually and closely recollecting up to the one thought-moment of mind prior to this intermediate existence is called the completion of preparatory application. Because that is the mind at death in the preceding life, being able to recollect and know it is called excellent completion." Explanatory remark: The Mahāvibhāṣā speaks of the completion of preparatory application in terms of the arising of the uninterrupted path (ānantarya-mārga), whereas the Kośa speaks of it having already been completed in terms of the falling away of the preparatory application. Or, the phrase "having been completed" indicates that it is already complete; the phrasing in the Nyāyānusāra and the Samayapradīpikā is identical to that of the Kośa. Alternatively, the treatises may have distinct viewpoints: the stage of completion is called the uninterrupted path. It comprehensively cognizes the five aggregates of death in the preceding life, as stated in the Mahāvibhāṣā. The uninterrupted path of past abodes is an application of mindfulness to phenomena (dharma-smṛtyupasthāna), because the aggregates of both the intermediate and the born existences are caused by a single karma. Therefore, as long as one only knows up to the initial moment of mind of the intermediate state, it is still subsumed under this life and cannot yet be called knowing past abodes; only when one knows the mind at the time of death in the preceding life is it called the uninterrupted path, and at the second moment, called the path of liberation, the supernormal knowledge of past abodes is accomplished. Just as the preparatory application for cultivating for oneself is like this, so also is the preparatory application for recollecting others. When this supernormal knowledge first arises in followers of the two vehicles and ordinary worldlings, they know past lives solely in sequence. When mastery is attained through habituation, they can also leap over lives in recollecting past existences. The things recollected must have been previously experienced in the past for one to be able to recollect them. As for the supernormal knowledge of past abodes recollecting the Śuddhāvāsa devas: although one was never born there, having heard of them in the past, one can now recollect them. Thus the Mahāvibhāṣā, fascicle one hundred, states: "Question: Does this knowledge of recollecting past abodes only recollect and know things previously experienced, or does it also recollect and know things not previously experienced? Answer: It only recollects and knows things previously experienced. Question: If so, this knowledge should not recollect and know the affairs of the five Śuddhāvāsa heavens, since from beginningless time one has never been born there. Answer: Things previously experienced are briefly of two kinds: first, previously seen; second, previously heard. Although one has never seen the affairs of the five Śuddhāvāsa heavens, having previously heard of them, one can also recollect and know them. The extremely distant and exceedingly sublime affairs of the remaining kāma- and rūpa-dhātus that are difficult to know should be understood by analogy with this (end of treatise citation)." If that person themselves passed away from the formless realm and was born into the desire or form realms, then having completed the cultivation of the preparatory application relying on their own continuity, they initially give rise to this supernormal knowledge relying on another's continuity. If they passed away from the remaining desire or form realms and were reborn into the desire or form realms, they also initially give rise to this supernormal knowledge relying on their own continuity; if, relying on a lower level, they give rise to the supernormal knowledge of past abodes after passing away from a higher level and being born into a lower one, it should be understood by analogy with this.